Posts Tagged ‘Review’
Review: Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Need to Know: Despite my bias against Girls for being the most un-google-able band ever, I have decided to put it aside in order to revere in their genius. Painstaking research has seemed to pay off however, because the biography of frontman Christopher Owens has lead me to infer that the immediate success of Girls is a reflection of the chaotic nature of Owens’ own life. He grew up around the world in the Children of God cult with his single mother who had to prostitute herself and allowed her eldest son to die in infancy because the cult was against medicine. Later, Owens was coined a “problem child” and subsequently ran away to the States to become a gutter punk, soon finding himself at a famous artist’s ranch in Texas, until eventually joining Holy Shit with Ariel Pink. Suffice to say, the dramatic turn of events of Girls’ stardom after their critically acclaimed album ‘Album’, only seems fitting.
In 100 Words Or So: In a handwritten letter, Christopher Owens refers to ‘Broken Dreams Club’ as a “a snapshot of the horizon”. Indeed, the six track EP is assurance of the positive direction in which Girls are heading. ‘Broken Dreams Club’ is a clear indication of their talent for creating sincere tracks like 50’s opener “The Oh So Protective One” with its Costello-esque vocals. Despite the unfortunate likeness to Conor Oberst in the title track “Broken Dreams Club”, the EP is saved by the upbeat yet melancholic “Alright” and the seven-minute long instrumental closer “Carolina”. Though there is no equivalent for “Lust for Life”, the EP’s single is easily “Heartbreaker”, a hybrid of “Summertime” and “Laura” off ‘Album’, which lends a tone of familiarity.
Best Track: Heartbreaker
RIYL: Elvis Costello, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Wavves, No Age, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Rating: 9/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy
Tags: Album, Broken Dreams Club EP, Girls, Review
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Matt & Kim @ The Phoenix
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
On Friday, October 29th, something ridiculously unreal transpired in downtown Toronto. If you’re wondering what went down and you’ve heard the names Matt & Kim before, you might be able to fathom up a guess. A concert, maybe? The thing is, though, that you’ll never truly understand how outrageously wicked a show the dandy duo put on until you actually go to one. One thousand of Matt & Kim’s most dedicated fans squished into The Phoenix on Friday night to make sure that they would get their fair share of the fun, crazy, dance-y, sweaty amazingness that was sure to ensue.
For those of you readers that have never heard of/listened to Matt & Kim before, to get an idea of how awesome they are, listen to their new album on MuchMusic’s First Spins right here!
Before heading to the show, I thought I had a slight idea of what to expect (jumping, dancing, etc, etc). I was totally wrong to assume that I knew what was going to go down. Matt & Kim took to the stage to some hip-hop tunes at around 10:15 and were welcomed by an ecstatic crowd that had been waiting for the crazy couple since around 8:00. They had previously, via Twitter said that they were going to be playing one of their longest sets ever. So, yeah. The crowd definitely had reason to be excited.
They jumped into their set right away with favourites like “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare”, “Lessons Learned” and “It’s a Fact (Printed Stain)”. AND PEOPLE WERE GOING INSANE! Everyone was jumping, moshing and sweating buckets for every single song… even slow ones, like “Turn This Boat Around” and “Lightspeed”, a song about what Matt claims to be the little bit he knows about baseball. Loved it.
For me, some of the best moments of the night were the epic covers that they played: Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Jump On It”, Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend”. But the best cover of them all was Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor”, wherein Kim jumped into the crowd and stood on peoples’ hands. She then, as if we could have expected less from a Matt & Kim show (pshhht…), began booty dancing like no other. Matt egged her on as she got the whole room (and I mean the WHOLE ROOM) cheering through her bootylicious moves.
Here are some things from the show that really capture how great it was:
- Kim throwing balloons out into the crowd for people to blow up and release simultaneously when, during the song “Cinders”, they reached the number 4. One, two three, four!!! *balloons everywhere, crazy balloon dance party ensues*
- Matt & Kim playing the first song they ever wrote, “Silver Tiles”, which also happens to be on their new record Sidewalks (listen here). It’s definitely about time for that song to be legitimately released.
- During one of their songs, Matt stood on his seat on one foot and continued to play his keyboard, practically upside-down.
- Matt, upon introducing their hit song, “Daylight”, told everyone that “If you had a bad year, shake it out of your fucking fingertips! Shake it out of your fucking hips! 2011 is going to be a good year!”
- Matt & Kim, after playing a pretty freaking long set, admitting/joking that those were the only songs that they could play well. I can deal. They play them so ridiculously well that I think I can forgive them.
After the show was over, a few of us waited by their tour bus for a couple of minutes and low and behold Matt came out! He signed some t-shirts, took pictures and chatted with us for ten minutes or so. He’s definitely one of the nicest, most decent people you’ll ever meet. Just wish Kim had come out too!
To sum up, Friday’s show pretty much epitomizes how absolutely incredible Matt & Kim are. They’re so different from most other bands. They’re completely against building a fourth wall during performances. They try to get the crowd into it as much as possible, whether it be by dancing on their hands, throwing balloons at them or just showing how much they appreciate you being there. You can see that they’re having just as much fun as you and vice versa. If you have the opportunity to see them live… DO IT. Please. Like, I actually beg you. It is one show that you will not soon forget.
Were you there? Have you seen them live before? Leave us a comment below with your thoughts! Oh, and check out some photos I snapped from the pit!
Photos by Matt Shore.
Tags: Concerts, Matt & Kim, Review
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Review: Summer Camp - Young
Monday, September 20th, 2010
Need to know: I became utterly consumed with finding any concrete information whatsoever about the elusive Summer Camp after hearing a track featuring the voice of Heather Chandler of the 80’s cult flick The Heathers, but was unsuccessful for months. The online music publication Gorilla Vs. Bear teased the disguise of a group of seven pals from Sweden, but divulged no other specifics. Evidently I was not the only one enthralled by the group’s anonymity, as they have quickly become a hype-machine. Alas, now that a debut EP has been released their true identity has been revealed: Summer Camp is a couple from London comprising of Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey.
100 words of less: Although the Young EP remains a work in progress in terms of Summer Camp establishing themselves as successful group, it does remarkably well considering the amount of pressure weighted on their first release. It’s six tracks are an absolute embodiment of the simultaneous nostalgia and melancholia of another era, particularly conveyed through allusions to 80’s youth culture. With another Heathers reference in ‘Veronica Sawyer’, titled after Winona Ryder’s character, it resonates closely with memorable Veronica quotes like, “Dear diary, I want to kill and you have to believe it’s for more than just selfish reasons, more than just a spoke in my menstrual cycle”. Following in this trend of teenage angst is ‘Jake Ryan’, whose namesake derives from John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles, as well as a sample from Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything in ‘Ghost Train’. The highlight, aside from these high school film samplings, is the opener, ‘Round The Moon’, dominated by Warmseley’s retro vocals. Overall, Summer Camp’s romantic indie pop will make you long to be a seventeen-year-old in hot pants and a peasant blouse, riding your banana bike with your flower crown on during summer break in 1976.
Best track: Ghost Train
RIYL: Suckers, Active Child, Best Coast, The Sandwitches, Twin Sister, Happy Birthday
Rating: 7.5/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy on vinyl
Sample: Round The Moon
Website: http://summercampband.blogspot.com
Tags: Review, Summer Camp
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Les Savy Fav are all Root, no Ruin
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
“Root For Ruin”, which was set to be released September 14th, was released digitally on August 3rd due to the album leaking online in late July. As cheesed as the band was over the leak, (for proof, refer to their Twitter @lessavyfav) it has been great news for Les Savy Fav’s fans. And for a band whose success is entirely fan driven, that can’t totally be a bad thing. Since forming in Providence, Rhode Island over a dozen years ago, Les Savy Fav has managed to evade mass appeal and maintain their independence. They have accomplished something that most indie musicians strive for; staying out of the mainstream, but still selling out every show.
“Root For Ruin” was released through bassist Syd Butler’s record label Frenchkiss Records and is Les Savy Fav’s fifth studio album. Having been a band since 1995, the now Brooklyn-based five-piece, as expected, has delivered a focused and memorable album. Thank goodness, because they have quite the reputation to live up to, with a superb previous album, “Let’s Stay Friends” (2007) and being known for backing up their tracks with wildly entertaining live performances. In fact lead singer, Tim Harrington, makes the band with his borderline-extreme on stage antics. Luckily, the caliber of their new songs should make for interesting material for Harrington’s live shows. The new tracks are beyond catchy and are characteristically abrasive.
To some extent, however, it follows the Les Savy Fav mold a little too closely. Not much in the album’s 11 tracks is very surprising. Each song adheres to the same aesthetics that their very first album did. Despite the slightly recycled sound, the familiarities of the songs which are reminiscent to old hits like “Patty Lee” off “Let’s Stay Friends”, is somewhat comforting.
The highest point of the album occurs right off the bat with a strong opener, “Appetites”. Exuding sexually charged emotions and self-confidence with lyrics like, “show us your teeth and show us your tits and show us the scars from the shit that you did,” the track serves a fantastic introduction. The track “Let’s Get Out Of Here” is a close second to “Appetites”. As their first single, it is an immediate reassurance that “Root For Ruin” can compete with previous material. The energetic track “Dirty Knails” is another highlight. The album ends with yet another hit in the form of “Clear Spirits”, leaving listeners with a feeling of satisfaction.
If there’s anything that “Root For Ruin” proves, it’s that without altering themselves, Les Savy Fav have the ability to remain relevant, even throughout years of shifting trends and fads. With powerful hooks, solid melodies and an aggressive attitude, their straightforward art-punk music has the potential to become timeless. It definitely is an album to download (legally, that is). Plus, once the album was leaked, the band themselves said, “Pay extra and you’re also forgiven for sex, sins and stuff AND we’ll tell Jesus to send you cookies.” Now that’s a deal.
Tags: Les Savy Fan, Review
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Interpol plays for all crowds
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Interpol are one of those acts that you may never fully understand through and through, and for the most part…should likely never try. Their fairly anonymous looking presence on stage is matched steadfastly by their hollow and brooding demeanours; and I actually am a big fan. Truly, when their first record, Turn on the Bright Lights, emerged in 2002, I was in; sign me up, love it. Mistaken often as part of the dreary UK movement of the time, Interpol quite convincingly exudes a proper NYC rock persona.
Standing silhouetted against the drenching Koolhaus lights, they are a band you should have no problems listening to. Fans of the band may or may not have noticed a slight line-up change. Three quarters of the band remain the same, with the bassist Carlos D departing, allowing newcomer David Paio into the fold. The band however, seemed no worse for the wear; and perhaps just to make that point, played an exorbitant amount of material from that aforementioned debut record, which made all the waves.
Personally I found Antics and Our Love to Admire equally as impressive records, and quite often turn to them for listening pleasures still, but the die-hards will always swoon and sway over the first one; it’s simply how die-hards work. Me, I’m easy…just give me a good show and I will be kind.
Seeing as how Interpol’s material is without prejudice, dark and gloomy (for lack of describing it over the course of a 10 paragraph essay) it was surprising to see a crowd not overly saturated with emo-types and people emerging from basement apartments for the first time in weeks. Instead a healthy mish-mash of all the city’s music stereotypes and, dare I say, young professionals.
Over the years you hear all kinds of elusions to their music: a poor man’s Joy Division is by far one of my favourite misnomers. A post-pink NYC outfit like this, usually sharply dressed, does more for me then many bands will ever do. Their lyrics, albeit somewhat moody, carry an air of experience and insight. They are intelligent, but not preachy. Their music is driven, and the guitar hooks, coupled with the ever calming tones of the vocals, fit the part all too well. And on this night, the crowd was treated to a variety of cuts from across the board; at one point it seemed they were playing a track off the debut record every two songs. You can tell a band has a loyal following when newer material such as Lights receives as warm of a welcome as some of their more favoured tunes, like Evil. All in all, the show was truly a majestic foray into the band’s musical legacy, and was well worth the admission for all who attended. As a band they stand to serve their fans with inspiration and their live show fought hard to prove it.
Tags: Concert, Interpol, Review
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